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Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, who has been reporting on a disturbing trend across the province: an increasing number of parents are surrendering their children to the Children's Aid, not because they've abused or neglected them, but because the parents cannot find the services and support they need to keep them safe at home.

"It's very unfortunate that that's happening," Premier Doug Ford acknowledged, adding that his government has launched an "audit" of the child welfare system.

Also in the headlines this week: A Toronto cop flips the bird — and please don't poop on the beach.

Send us a Text Message.

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is reporter Aidan Chamandy, who stumbled upon some very interesting internal government documents while surfing the web. (Spoiler alert: the Ford government is considering setting up a new agency to speed up public infrastructure projects.)

Chamandy also walks us through an eventful press conference with the premier, who shared his thoughts on everything from the U.S. presidential race to the now-finished LCBO strike. For the record, Ford thinks "it was time" for Biden "to move on" — but doesn't "care" who wins the election, as long as the new president is willing to work with America's northern neighbour.

Send us a Text Message.

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

Joining us today is deputy editor Sneh Duggal, who uncovered some big news about stalled plans for childcare spaces at Ontario schools. According to a document obtained through a freedom-of-information request, 56 planned childcare projects have been classified as "cancelled" — potentially costing around $11 million in "sunk costs."

Duggal also brings us up to speed on the latest meeting of the Council of the Federation (COF), a group that includes all 13 provincial and territorial premiers. Doug Ford is set to take over as chair of the group on Aug. 1, and he spoke to reporters about his top priorities.

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Every Sunday morning, one of our legislative reporters from The Trillium provides an inside look at the week that was in Ontario politics — and the week ahead.

Joining us today is reporter Charlie Pinkerton, who explains why Doug Ford is featured in a new video flipping burgers and talking booze. He also breaks down the big revelations contained in newly released documents about the Ontario Science Centre.

Spoiler alert: the now-shuttered building will remain permanently closed.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

The Trillium is a subscription-based news service designed especially for Queen’s Park stakeholders, such as public servants, political staffers, business leaders, lobbyists and strategists. But the site also features free content that is regularly published across our chain of local news sites.

Send us a Text Message.

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

Joining us today is reporter Charlie Pinkerton, who just published an eyeopening three-part investigative series on Therme, the "Austrian spa company" selected to redevelop Ontario Place.

You can find the first instalment HERE. Parts two and three are available to subscribers of The Trillium.

Send us a Text Message.

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

Joining us today is reporter Jack Hauen, who breaks down the latest developments on what everyone is talking about: the sudden, permanent closure of the Ontario Science Centre.

He also reveals the details of a new report — which the Ford government refuses to release — that says Ontario's move to privatize employment aid has left behind a lot of people on social assistance.

Send us a Text Message.

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On today's episode is reporter Charlie Pinkerton, who made some big headlines of his own this week. He was part of a team of journalists from The Toronto Star and The Narwhal who won this year's esteemed Michener Award for public service journalism for their dogged reporting on the Greenbelt scandal.

It was Pinkerton who first revealed that wealthy developers who benefited from Ford government zoning decisions, including the Greenbelt land swap, had attended the Premier's daughter's wedding. For those who may not know, it was also that story that led to the launch of The Trillium. (You can learn all about that HERE.)

This week, Pinkerton has been digging deeper into what happened in small-town Brighton, Ont., where councillors openly admitted they were hiring a well-connected lobbying firm to "work the backroom" of the Ford government in the hopes of landing some badly needed infrastructure funding.

The story sparked quite a controversy at Queen's Park, where opposition MPPs delighted in the idea that town councillors believed they needed to hire a friend of the premier to get something done. Newly released documents, obtained by Pinkerton via a Freedom of Information request, shed even more light on how everything unfolded.

Send us a Text Message.

Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On today's episode is reporter Jack Hauen, part of The Trillium team recently nominated for a CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism for their in-depth reporting on the influence of land developers in Ontario politics.

Hauen brings us up to speed on the latest headlines about the Landlord and Tenant Board, which managed to shave a whopping six per cent off its large backlog of cases over the past year. To be fair, Ontario is actually processing 40 per cent more landlord-tenant disputes than it was a year ago — but also dealing with 40 per cent more cases.

He also reveals the latest on a wild story from GuelphToday, in which a new homeowner hasn't been able to move in because squatters are all over the house. Not even a hefty cash offer was enough to convince them to leave.